Udupi city returned to near normal on Monday after nearly one-and-a-half months of strict lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Though Udupi district has been placed in the Green Zone, the district administration allowed lockdown relaxation in the district from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. as a precautionary measure. Most of the shops and business establishments, except those barred under lockdown guidelines, were open here.
As a result of the relaxation today, a large number of vehicles were seen moving on the main streets leading to traffic snarls in places such as Kavi Muddana Road, Maruthi Veethika and Kalsank.
The increased traffic movement was also because of the fact that the relaxation was only till 1 p.m. Autorickshaws and taxis were also operating. Movement of city and inter-district buses was barred.
Meanwhile, there were long queues in front of wine shops here. While social distancing was being followed in some places, in other places it was not and the police had to intervene to ensure social distancing was maintained.
Similar queues were seen in front of wine shops and MSIL shops in other places, including Manipal, Kundapur, Karkala, in the district. There are 14 MSIL shops and 89 wine shops in the district.